Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies

These soft and chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies turn out perfect every time - they are a tried-and-true family recipe! They taste like gingerbread cookies, but are soft and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. You can also make these cookies ahead of time and freeze until you need them.

I have been searching for the perfect soft ginger cookie for a long time now . . . and I think that I have finally found it!

I made some of these cookies to take around to the neighbors for Christmas and I had so many people ask me for the recipe. They are that good!

Growing up, my mom’s ginger cookies were my favorite. I love the spiciness that comes from using cinnamon, cloves, and molasses. And the smell that comes from the oven while these are baking . . . pure heaven!

Many people love to bake these cookies during the holidays, but I love them year round!

Ingredients needed for chewy ginger cookies:

All-purpose flour – I usually use unbleached all-purpose flour, but if you want to make them a little bit healthier, you could use white whole wheat flour

Spices – you are going to need ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves (plus a little bit of salt)

Egg and baking soda – these are going to keep your cookies soft and fluffy

Butter – you definitely want to use unsalted butter (not margarine!) and it needs to be softened to room temperature (if it’s melted, the butter will not cream with the sugars as well)

Sugar – I used white sugar because of the added molasses, but you could do half brown sugar and half white sugar if desired

Molasses – I just use a full flavor original molasses that I find at the grocery store

The secret to the perfect soft and chewy ginger cookie

When I make these cookies, I always make sure that I NEVER overbake them. In fact, I tend to err on the side of UNDERBAKING them because I prefer that my cookies are super soft.

If you cook these for too long, they will become like crunchy gingersnaps. If you prefer your cookies to be more crunchy, feel free to bake them longer.

I start out baking these cookies for 7 minutes. If I feel like they need a little more time, I will cook them for an additional minute, but not a second longer! 8 minutes is my maximum baking time for a soft cookie.

Can you freeze these ginger cookies?

Yes, you can definitely freeze these cookies! If you are making a ton of cookies for the holidays and want to get ahead, these are a great cookie to make early in the season in toss in the freezer.

Here are some tips to help you freeze these cookies:

Let cookies cool completely.

Transfer cookies to an airtight container (a freezer gallon-sized resealable bag works great) in a single layer – store the cookies in multiple bags if you have more cookies than will fit in one bag because if you stack them, your cookies will freeze together and be hard to separate.

I recommend eating the cookies within 1-2 months for the best flavor, but they will last for up to 3-4 months.

When you are ready to eat, thaw the cookies at room temperature for about 20 minutes. If you want a warm cookie, stick it in the microwave for 10 seconds.

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First, these look amazing. And sound even better. I've been researching ginger cookies and I think these are the ones I'm going to try first. But I have a question. In all the research I've done, I've read in several places that a pinch of cayenne really makes the flavor of the ginger pop. My question is.... have you ever tried using cayenne with your ginger cookies?
Thanks so much for all the wonderful recipes you post. You're definitely not helping my waist line, but my tummy thanks you (as do my kids).

Hi Ashley, Thanks for the heads up on that recipe. Yes, add in the dry ingredients after the molasses. This is one of our earliest recipes and we have been trying to go back and update them all. Have a great weekend!

Made these a few weeks ago. My husband told me last night "if I don't get some more of those ginger cookies, there's gonna be some trouble". LOL.
Just a note, the first time I made them, I used two baking trays. The first was lined with parchment, and the second had a silicon baking sheet. The parchment cookies were flatter and tougher. The silicon cookies were fluffier and softer. Both tasted wonderful, but the textures were just slightly different. I'll be using the silicon baking sheet from now on. I just bought another so now I HAVE to make these again!

Just finished making these cookies....they are amazing! Have eaten three of them already! The only thing I did differently was to use butter instead of margarine like the recipe states. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing

I made these cookies and they are delicious, my son loves them. The first time I made them, I flattened slightly like the recipe states. The second time I left them rolled in balls and they still got extremely flat. I can't seem to get them thick and fluffy like the picture but they are still very good. Any suggestions? Thank you

The recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of molasses. But this substitution is for 1 cup, so you would need to reduce these amounts.
Replace one cup of molasses with one of the following:
1 cup dark corn syrup, honey or maple syrup
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup water
These substitutions may alter the taste of your recipe a bit. If the molasses flavor is vital to the success of your recipe, try the brown sugar substitute.
Since brown sugar is made from granulated sugar and molasses, it'll be the closest flavor match. The maple syrup or dark corn syrup would be the next best choice.
If you have to use granulated sugar or honey as the substitute, consider increasing the spices in the recipe a bit to make up for the flavors that the molasses would have contributed.

Okay these cookies are a ginger-lovers dream! I love gingersnaps but was looking to make something a little more chewy and sweet. These are perfect! Very simple and easy recipe for a college student with not a lot of fancy bakeware. I might have to make these every Christmas!